Introduction to evolution and regulation of communication ecosystems

Abstract

The arena of telecommunications, Internet-empowered interaction, and mobile network technology keeps expanding to encapsulate an ever widening galaxy of customized and utility communication services, that is, specialized applications and the web at large. New challenges are on the horizon as the web makes the transition from the wired Internet to a new model based on ubiquitous access underpinned by a vast array of mobile terminals and the cloud infrastructure. The persistently drastic phenomenon of economic and technical change is transforming economic and social life as well as adding to the pressure on the existing regulatory frameworks. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.